Automatic railway-train arrester.



R. A. WILLSON & A. L. WRIGHT. AUTOMATIC RAILWAY TRAIN ARRESTER. APPLICATION mum 111111.21, 1911.

1,012,493. Patented Dec. 19, 1911.

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R. A. WILLSON & A. L. WRIGHT.

AUTOMATIC RAILWAY TRAIN ARRBSTER. APPLIOATIONIILED MAB..21, 1911.

1,012,493, Patented Dec. 19, 1911.

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LU-W,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RUSSELL A. WILLSON AND ABBOTT L. WRIGHT, OF SPOKANE, WASHINGTON.

AUTOMATIC RAILWAY-TRAIN ARRESTER.

Patented Dec. 19, 1911. Serial No. 615,887.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, RUSSELL A. VILL- SON and ABBOTT L. lVnIcHr, citizens of the United States, residing at Spokane, in the county of Spokane and State of \Vashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Railway-Train Arresters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to automatic railway train arresters and is designed for stopping electric or steam railway trains independently of the control of the engineer or motorman in cases of danger, such as the misplacement of a switch, danger at a crossing, or when a drawbridge is open or when it is found for any reason the train should be stopped.

One of the principal objects of our invention is to provide simple, reliable and efficient means for automatically setting the brakes of a train independently of the control of the engineer or motorman whenever the stationmaster, the signal operator or other person in authority deems it necessary to stop the train. 7

Another object of our invention is to provide a frangible tube preferably of glass to be connected to the air brake system and supported in position above or at the side of the locomotive or motor calsaid tube to,

be broken by a device connected to the semaphore or other signal operated simultaneously with said semaphore or signal, so that when the latter is set to danger the device for breaking the tube will be disposed within the path of the glass tube to break the latter, bleed the train. pipe line and set the brakes. 7

Still another object of our invention is to provide a breakable tube connected to the air brake system and supported upon the motor car or locomotive in line with an arm connected to a semaphore or signal and operated simultaneously therewith, said arm being pivoted to the pole or support, and adapted to be thrown down to a horizontal position when the semaphore is in the danger position and 'which is automatically raised outof the path of the glass tube when the semaphore or signal is in safety position.

These and other objects may be attained -by means of the construction illustrated in the" accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the front end of a motor car showing the frangible tube extending above the top of the car in position to be broken by an arm connected to the semaphore, said arm and semaphore being shown in danger position in full lines and in safety position or caution in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a detailed perspective view of the arm for breaking the glass tube connected to the semaphore pole, the latter being broken away. Fig. 3 is a detailed perspective view of the supporting plate for the arm adapted to be secured to the pole. Fig. 4 is a central vertical section taken through the glass tube and the supporting parts therefor, said tube and the supporting rod being broken away at a point nearly central of the tube. Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Referring now to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates a motor car, 2 is a glass tube communicating with the air brake system-in almanner which will be fully described hereinafter, 3 is the semaphore pole, 4 is the semaphore arm, and 5 is the breaker arm connected to the semaphore and adapted to be thrown into'a horizontal position for breaking the tube 2 and setting the brakes of the train.

Referring to Fig. 4 of. the drawing, the numeral 6 designates a pipe which communicates with the train pi e of the air brake system, said pipe 6 eing led out through the top or through the side of the motor car or locomotive and connected to said pipe is a fitting 7 provided with a suitable splder 8 in which is connected by screw threads a supporting rod 9. The fitting 7 at its upper end is provided with a bore 10 in which the glass tube is fitted and a compressible gasket 11 is seated on a shoulder 12 in the fittings 7 to insure an air tight adjustment ,of the glass tube 2 within the fitting 7. At the opposite end of the tube 2 a metal cap 13 fits over the end of said tube and is provided with a compressible gasket 14 for the upperend of said tube. The supporting rod 9 extends through the cap 13 and is rovided with a suitable nut 15 to engage t e screw threaded portion 16 of saidrod, and a washer or gasket 17 is interposed between the nut 15 and the cap 13. By means of this construction, the glass tube 2 can be quickly connected to the fittings 7 and by turning the nut 15 of the supporting rod 9, the ends of the glass tube are force sure a tight connection. The supporting rod 9. also gives stability to the tube.

It will be-obvious that'the glass tube -may belocated at the top, the side or the bottom of the locomotive or motor car, sollong' as'it is the path of a suitable breaking 'device operated by-asemaphore or signal, and

the latter may be either operated by hand or by other power;

'At a suitable point on the semaphore pole 3 is secured a breaker arm which may be described as follows: A plate 18 is secured by suitable clamps or stirrups 19 to the pole and pivotally connected at 20 to said plate is a lever 21 having a weight 22 connected to one end while the opposite end has secured to it a suitable socket 23. A rod 24 'is connected to the socket 23 atone end,

while the opposite end ispivotally con:

nected to the plate 18 at the side oppositethe lever 21. The breaker rod 5 is connected to the socket 23 by means of a bind- .ing screw 25. An operating lever 26 is pivoted at one end to a clamp 27 secured to the lever 21, while, the opposite end of said opcrating lever is pivoted at 28 to the plate 18. A connecting rod 29 is attached pivot ally at 30 to the operating lever 26 whlle the. opposite end of said connecting rod is pivoted to the semaphore arm 4.

The operation of our invention may be briefly described as follows: Whenever it is for any reason found necessary to stop the train, the semaphore arm is set to danger position and automatically the breaker 5 is also set in the path of the glass tube 2 and the momentum of the train will bring the glass tube against the breaker 5 breaking the tube and-letting the air out of the train pipe and setting the brakes automatically. When the semaphore is raised to a safety position, the breaker arm 5 is also raised out of the path of the tube 2.

From the foregoing it will be obvious that our invention can be used in connec tion with a hand operated breaker or combination signal and breaker and that the train will alwaysbe arrested wheli breaker arm is-thrown'into the path of the tube 2.

In practice it has been found very desirable for the station agent-or the si a1 operator to stop a train for reasons own to the engineer and by use of our invention this can be donewith certainty and will lead to 55.

great saving of lives and property] 7 We claim:

1. In an automatic train arrester, the I combination of a glass tube, a fitting'in which said tube is supported, a supporting ,rod connected to the fitting and extending through the tube, a cap supported upon one end of said tube and a nut adjustable upon the rod for clamping the glass tube in place.

2. An automatic train arrester comprising 66 a frangible tube, a fitting connected to sai tube, an air brake system communicating with said fitting, a supportin'g rod extending through said tube, said supporting rod being connected to a spider w1thin the fit- 70 ting, a cap for said tube, a nut connected to said supporting rod for clamping the glass tube, and compressible; gaskets for the ends of said tube.

3. In a safety device of the character described, the combination of a frangible tube, an air brake system, said tube communicating with said air brake system and disposed in a position to be broken in case of danger,

a semaphore or signal, a breaker arm con-' nected to said semaphore or signaKto be operated simultaneously therewith, said breaker arm comprising aplate secured to the semaphore pole, a lever connected to said plate, a connecting rod attached to said semaphore or signal for operating said breaker arm, and an operatinglever pivoted to said plate and to-said lever.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signa tures in presence of. two witnesses.

RUSSELL A. WILLSON.

ABBOTT L. WRIGHT.

Witnesses a C. C. MOEA-STMAN, S. SHEARS. 

